Breaking Down Barriers
by Kick Me Awake
Summary: So he began to embark on a quest to break down her barriers. Knock through her doors; kick them down, and hopefully, get to know her better in the process. -Scorpius/Rose-
1. Chapter 1

**So I decided to write a multi-chapter story of Rose and Scorpius. Unlike the other stories, this will take a bit more of a serious edge, but unfortunately, since my system has not quite kicked the habit, it will probably be insanely fluffy. But either way, I hope you enjoy (:**

**By the way, just a little bit of background info, I made it start sometime in December of their sixth year.**

**(And also, thanks for the reviews for Late Night Snack :D)**

**Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter or anything in regards to JK Rowling or Warner Bros.**

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><p>Despite her famous relatives and the constant (as well as irritating) attention, Rose Weasley enjoyed keeping to herself. She surprised everybody by being sorted into Ravenclaw her first year at Hogwarts (something that she was actually extremely proud of). But once classes began to settle in and students began to delve into their studies, the school began to settle down.<p>

During her years at Hogwarts, Rose had built a sort of a shelter around herself, allowing only her closest friends to intervene in her life. Those people that she was with all the time genuinely loved her, not for the fact that she was the daughter of two-thirds of the Golden Trio, but because she was an actual _person_. She was fair, never biased, and intelligent. Not to mention she was beautiful and had a wonderful personality.

In simpler words, she was _brilliant. _

But Scorpius Malfoy was never part of that inner circle. He was best friends to one of Rose's best friends, Albus Potter, who was a fellow Slytherin. By default, Rose and Scorpius also hung out together. But when Albus wasn't there, they normally kept their distance.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, however one would think), Scorpius began to actually _like_ her. He envied those close friends who were always by Rose's side because Rose _trusted_ them. He _wanted_ Albus to hang out with her more so Scorpius could tag along as well. And for some bizarre reason, Scorpius _wanted_ Rose to trust him.

So he began to embark on a quest to break down her barriers. Knock through her doors; kick them down, and hopefully, get to know her better in the process.

Six years of not getting to know her, and that was six years too many. Scorpius realized far too late that he had lost very precious time in order to know Rose.

But it was better late than never.

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><p><strong>Yes, I realize that that was <strong>_**extremely**_** short. However, if you were smart enough to realize, this is only the prologue. The next chapters will be much longer, but I can't promise you frequent updates, and for that I apologize. But don't say that I didn't warn you.**

**HOWEVER! In between my most likely long gapes of updates, I will take requests! :D But I'm _extremely _picky about them. They have to be canon, or they can't already have a significant other. But if it's Next-Gen, Ros_e _has to be with Scorpius, and vice-versa. Sorry guys, but I'm rather picky. But anything other than that...I think will be fin_e _(:**

**Either way, I do hope you enjoy this story. I actually put a lot of thought into it, which is practically something I **_**never**_** do.**

**So please don't favorite without reviewing, and have a great day :D**

**Love lovezz,  
>Kick :]<strong>


	2. Teasing

**Yeah, thanks for the many Story/Author Alerts and favorites. And thank you to the lovely two people who reviewed my story (: They were****Sarnia Nereid** ** and ****MarisaCan'tRememberHerPassword** ** So thank you so much, honey dears (…did I just say **_**honey dears**_**? Oh dear God…)! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>Step One: Teasing<strong>

On his quest to getting to know Rose Weasley, Scorpius needed to know how to get under her skin. And the best way of doing that was to tease her…_relentlessly_.

He started doing so when he saw her in the library one night. Rose was hunched over a very large book and seemed to be paying quite a lot of attention to it.

"Hey Weasley!" Scorpius whispered, not wanting to be yelled at by the librarian. "Why don't you get your head out of that book and have some fun once in a while?"

Rose looked up noncommittally and said, "You're telling me to get my head out of this book, yet you yourself are in the library. Ironic, isn't it Malfoy?"

He stopped with the book jokes after that.

After that little library incident, Scorpius moved on to different types of insults.

"Oi, Weasley!" Scorpius cried out one snowy day. "Heard about you and McAllister! I can't believe that McAllister, the most _desperate_ bloke at school, broke up with you!"

Rose simply rolled her eyes and replied, "Tell that to all those desperate birds you shagged when they split up with _you_, Malfoy."

He had to admit, that was actually pretty good.

When Scorpius finally realized that he couldn't break her down with teasing through speaking, he decided to tease her physically.

"Hey Weasley," Scorpius greeted with a poke. Rose looked up with a somewhat annoyed expression. "How's it going?"

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" Rose asked as she was writing down something for her homework in the library. Scorpius shrugged.

"Nothing," he replied with another poke. He inwardly smirked as he saw her raise an eyebrow.

"Seriously, Malfoy, what the _hell_ are you doing?"

"Nothing!" Scorpius insisted with yet _another_ poke. This time, Rose shrugged.

"Fine," she said. And then she poked him.

"Fine," Scorpius agreed. Poke. Rose sighed.

Poke.

Poke.

And once again, _another_ poke.

"Really, Scorpius, really?" Rose asked with a poke, while Scorpius was trying to ignore the instant elation when all she did was simply say his first name.

"Yes, Weasley, yes indeed," Scorpius said, poking her. Rose rolled her eyes again, but smiled.

"Keep it up, Malfoy," she said as she packed up her things. "I _might_ actually be warming up to you."

And so he took her advice, and kept it up.

But soon enough, Rose Weasley quickly took him down.

"Alright, Malfoy," she said one day, "what is it you want?"

At first, Scorpius thought Rose was pissed off at him, which would have put him one step _back_ in his quest to get to know and befriend her. But he knew he was wrong when he witnessed a tiny smile that graced her lips.

"What do you think I want?" Scorpius replied with an easy grin. She laughed, and he prided in himself for making her do so.

"I think you either want to hang out with me, or piss the hell out of me," she said knowingly. "So tell me, Mr. Malfoy. Which one is it?"

"You're rather smart, aren't you?" Scorpius said instead of answering her question.

"I'd like to think so," she responded with a smirk. "So are you going to tell me, or do you want me take a lucky guess."

Scorpius shrugged. "Well you said you were smart. What do you think?"

Rose sighed, but smiled all the same. "I think I'll say…you wanted to hang out with me?"

Scorpius grinned. "You _are_ smart. You must bring great pride to the Ravenclaw house."

"Scorpius, if you wanted to hang out with me, you could have just asked," Rose said with a small laugh. "Honestly, and I thought _you_ were supposed to be smart."

"Well I'd like to think so," he repeated. Rose smiled warmly.

"I'll see you later, Malfoy," she said, standing up to gather her things.

"Scorpius," he corrected. "Call me Scorpius."

"Then you call me Rose," she instructed with a smile. He nodded in assent. She waved and began walking away. "See you around, Scorpius."

"Bye," he muttered once she was out of sight. He supposed that he liked Rose more than he thought he did.

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><p><strong>Oops. I guess I lied. That wasn't very long…was it? (: Ahahaha. And it wasn't as serious as I anticipated it would be in my head. Ah well. <strong>_**Si es atal es atal**_**. What will be, will be (**_**Labyrinth**_** anybody? Just finished that book and I loved it :D).**

**I have a couple ideas in my mind for a future Rose/Scorpius oneshot, but right now, school is **_**hell**_**. Get back to school after two week vacation? Teachers bomb you with homework. Story of my life, right? **

**So anyways, I'll try to update as quickly as possible. So sorry for the delay. But either way, happy new year! :D I suspect if people actually believe in the "end of the world in 2012," and it doesn't happen, then I think there will be many babies born around September 20, 2013, if you catch my drift (: Aha.**

**And YES! I am still taking requests for random oneshots. Just look at my first chapter's AN and you shall see my "limitations." **

**Until next update, I bid you **_**adieu**_**! And make sure you review! :D**

**Love lovezz,  
>Kick<strong>

**P.S. Is anyone else sad that **_**Chuck**_** is gonna be over soon? Or am I the only one? :\**


	3. Building

**Oops…so much for quick updates (:**

**Disclaimer: OH HAHA! YOU THOUGHT I WAS JK ROWLING? YEAH, WELL I'M **_**NOT**_**!**

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><p>About a year had passed since Rose Weasley invited Scorpius Malfoy to be her friend. And friends they had become. Albus was surprised to see Rose and Scorpius get along so well, but he decided not to jinx their newfound friendship and left it alone.<p>

Being in seventh year, Rose and Scorpius were nominated (and eventually chosen) as Hogwarts's new Head Boy and Head Girl, much to the amusement (and distaste of one Ron Weasley) of both sets of parents. Sharing a common room as well as patrolling duties brought the two even closer.

And brought Scorpius Malfoy further in _like_.

He never wanted to say that he was in love with Rose Weasley for several reasons.

He was only seventeen, almost eighteen, but that was slightly too young to start contemplating what love truly was.

There was also the fact to consider that seventh year was supposed to be the year to focus on NEWT's. He had to pass in order to be accepted into the Auror Academy with Rose and Albus.

He also did not want anybody to find out. If someone did, then he would most likely get his Head Boy badge stripped from the front of his robes. No Heads were allowed to be involved with each other romantically (except, somehow, for Lily Evans and James Potter).

In addition, Rose only saw him as a friend and a friend _only_. She thought that he was a worthy opponent to compete against in Transfiguration, and once those exams were over, a good laugh. They were there for each other when they were stuck on homework (rarely, but that was just when they wanted to spend time with each other without actually admitting it) and when they wanted to stay away from their friends to read a book quietly.

Slowly, Scorpius was tearing down the wall that was keeping the two apart.

And quite frankly, he was enjoying himself in the process.

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><p>Months into their seventh year, when Scorpius thought things were beginning to go well with him and Rose, he had hit an obstacle.<p>

Rose got herself a boyfriend.

But not just any boyfriend. It was the type of person who every girl wished for. Anthony Wilsons was a seventh year Gryffindor, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and had a fantastic personality. He was fairly smart (however, nothing compared to Rose or Scorpius), had a great character, and was (reasonably) good-looking.

All in all, the perfect (or as they say, the "Golden Boy") boyfriend.

And Scorpius hated it.

What he despised even more was how much Rose actually liked him. She was constantly rambling about how amazing and sweet he was on their last date, and how much of a gentleman he was. Scorpius usually plastered a fake smile on his face and kept saying how happy he was for her.

He was lucky he was such a talented liar.

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><p>"I can't believe how lucky I am!" Rose boasted while flopping down on the couch one day. "Tony is the absolute <em>perfect <em>gentleman!"

Scorpius did not say anything except hum in response. He idly flipped a page of his book while Rose continued to gush.

"He always has a compliment ready for me, it's amazing! Well, they're just the same thing in different words, but still!" Rose continued. Scorpius resisted the urge to roll his eyes and say that there were infinite ways that he would compliment her, and all of them would be different.

He knew that she liked different. She always got tired of the same things eventually.

But honestly, this was taking longer than he liked.

"Well? Scorpius?" Rose's voice rang through his thoughts. "What do you think?"

"Err…what?" he asked confusedly. Rose rolled her eyes.

"Do you think he loves me?"

Scorpius froze.

_This isn't happening_ Scorpius thought to himself. _This is all a nightmare, and when I wake up, this conversation will have never taken place_.

He cleared his throat.

"Well it's hard not to love you," he replied suavely with a smile and a wink. Rose laughed.

"You're too sweet, I swear," she chuckled, but otherwise seemed unfazed. He laughed with her and kept his gaze on her face.

"But seriously," she began quietly, "do you think Tony loves me?"

Scorpius's smile faded. "I…I honestly don't know."

Rose's face fell, and his heart followed suit.

"Oh," she mumbled quietly. Staring at her crestfallen expression, Scorpius began talking again.

"Do you love him?" he asked in a tone that was just as quiet as hers. Her head snapped up. Rose's bright blue eyes seemed to be searching inside of Scorpius. He couldn't help but shift uncomfortably.

"I don't know…" Rose answered eventually, and a glimmer of hope lit up in Scorpius's head. "I think…I think I might."

And it blew out as soon as it lit up. Scorpius glared at Rose.

"Do you even know what love is?" Scorpius accused unkindly. "Don't you think we're too young to even be in love?"

Rose's expression hardened. "What do you mean by that?"

Scorpius narrowed his steely gray eyes before continuing. "You don't even know what love is, Rose. For Merlin's sake, you're hardly eighteen!"

"I'll have you know that my _parents_ have been in love long before that!" Rose replied heatedly.

"But they didn't know did they? Anyways, you and Wilsons have been going out for less than three months!" said Scorpius. "And before that, you two have hardly had one conversation!"

"But what does that matter!" Rose cried, throwing her hands up in frustration. They both hadn't noticed that they were standing up. "It's good to love people when we're young! It'll give us an aspect for the future!"

Scorpius scoffed. "Oh, so now you think you're going to have a _future_ with him?"

Rose's eyes widened. "I never said that!"

"You might as well have!" he barked in response.

"Well what do you know, Scorpius?" Rose asked. "How would you know so much about love if you aren't even in love?"

Scorpius faltered for a moment. "So I'm not in love! Big deal! Maybe it's because I'm only _eighteen_, and I don't _need_ to be in love! Maybe, being in love is just a waste of time!"

"You would say that!" Rose yelled. "And why do you care whether or not I love Tony?"

"Because I'm your friend!" he bellowed back. "And I care if you get hurt, and I don't doubt that you will!"

"If you were my friend, Scorpius, then you would be _supporting_ me, not bringing me down!" Rose accused with a somewhat hurt expression. Scorpius took note of the tears running down her pale cheeks.

Scorpius sighed and ran his hand through his hair and over his face. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

"Look Rose—"

"You know what Scorpius?" Rose sniffed. "Just leave me alone."

Scorpius watched Rose walk to her room. Slam the door shut.

And build another wall between them.

Another wall for Scorpius to pick his way through. But this time, it didn't look like it was going to be easy.

Damn.

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><p><strong>(Just for future reference, if you ever see the world LINE in bold, I forgot to put the line divider in it :P Sorry!)<strong>

**Okay, yeah. So that took longer than I expected, and I apologize. Hopefully, the gap between this and my next update won't be as long.**

**But at least I published that Rose/Scorpius oneshot last month (: I quite like **_**Lost and Found**_**. One of my favorites (enough for a nomination in the RoseScorpius awards :D ahahaha, just joking with ya).**

**By the way, I'm still taking them requests :D So feel free to leave it in a review (:**

**And PLEASE do not favorite or something without reviewing. You have no idea how much it crushes someone when you get a favorite story or something without a review. One word is enough, guys. Seriously. **

**Oh yeah, I watched **_**The Woman in Black**_**. I'm scared that she's gonna eat me now. But I have my _signed_ copy of **_**The Fault in Our Stars**_** to keep me company (: **

**So please review! I do appreciate them!**

**~Kick**

**P.S. Got rid of the "love, lovezz" thing. Took too long to type xD And it's almost my three year anniversary on FF! :D**


	4. Tearing

…**Sorry…**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p>As much as Scorpius wanted to talk to Rose, she always found some way to avoid him. Whether it was engaging in a conversation with her friends as she saw him walk by, or simply just walking away. Unless it was absolutely necessary, for example working together as Potions partners, Rose ignored Scorpius completely. And that included the continuation of seeing her boyfriend Anthony Wilsons. It seemed as if Scorpius was metaphorically picking his way through the wall with what seemed like a plastic fork.<p>

Damn.

Scorpius had_ tried_ talking to Albus so he could ask him to apologize to her for him. He didn't swing for it.

"Look, Scorp," he said with that perfected narrowed gaze of his, "you screwed up. Fix it yourself." But his gaze softened as he talked to his friend. "But you'll get in the end. You always do, right?"

"Suppose so," Scorpius replied with a half-shrug.

Then he tried talking to her close friend, Helena.

"Scorpius, I don't know you that well," she began, "and I'm not exactly sure _what_ you did to make Rose so upset, but I will say this. Just give her some time. I know Rose, and she'll get over it eventually. She's just that kind of girl."

So Scorpius tried talking to Rose…and tried…and tried _again_. Unfortunately, Rose had become somewhat of an expert on avoiding him, even in the Heads Common Room. Whenever he entered the common room, Rose was nowhere to be seen. He cursed himself over and over for his irrationality and his goddamn enormous mouth.

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><p>One afternoon, Scorpius entered the Heads Common Room after a brutal Quidditch practice (probably because Albus was the captain and he was borderline crazy when it came to the sport <em>and<em> added to the fact that this was their last year at Hogwarts). His mood wasn't exactly at his best because he was still dripping wet from the shower, and he swore that he could still feel the sweat on the back of his neck.

However, as he was walking into the dorm, he heard some sort of background noise, something you would miss if one wasn't listening hard enough.

But what was it?

A wail of despair answered his question.

Sobbing. Tissues on the ground. A loud sniveling coming from the bedroom from the opposite side of the room. That could only mean one thing: Rose was crying.

But crying over what? Scorpius was thinking as he cautiously stepped towards the door.

_Knock, knock, knock_.

"Rose?" No answer.

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Rose." Again, no answer.

_Knock, knock, knock_.

"Rose!"

"_What _do you _want_?" she shrieked, finally opening the door. Scorpius's eyes widened at the ungodly sight. Rose's red hair was wild and curly and all over the place. In her hand, where her wand would have been, was currently being occupied by used tissues. Her blue eyes were stricken with tears and her normally calm expression turned into one that signified that she was about to kill the next living thing that she laid her eyes on.

Which, luckily for Scorpius, was him.

He held up his hands in defense (not that it would help him in any way).

"Calm down, Rosie," he said, "I just wanted to see if you're okay."

"Of course I'm fucking okay!" she said slightly hysterically. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well…first of all…you're a mess," he said, faking a look of slight disgust, causing Rose to crack a small smile, "and you're crying…a lot."

Her small smile disappeared and tears began to well up in her blue eyes again. Frightened to what he had done, he was about to apologize when Rose held her arms out for a hug. Once she was safely in Scorpius's embrace, she burst into tears all over again.

"Oh God…" Scorpius muttered mostly to himself. He restrained from rolling his eyes because he knew he should be supporting. But being a teenage boy (okay, _adult_, but still), Scorpius felt _extremely_ uncomfortable in these types of situations.

"So…err…what happened?" he asked with slight hesitance. When Rose calmed down a few minutes later, she led him into her room and sat on the bed. She hiccupped a couple more times before answering.

"Tony…" she began with a shaky breath, "Tony cheated on me."

"I'm sorry. Could you repeat that?"

"Tony cheated on me, okay? Go ahead. Say I told you so," Rose challenged with a teary glare.

But he didn't. Instead, he felt a flurry of different emotions all at once. First, he felt like he was about to fucking kill that arse for cheating on Rose. Then he felt sympathy for her because she was going through her first real heartbreak. Finally, he felt somewhat _relieved _that Tony cheated on Rose, so she was single again!

But he tried not to dwell too much on that last feeling. That git _did_ hurt Rose after all.

"Scorpius…" Rose said cautiously, her face rid of any tears, "are you alright? You look like you're about to kill some—wait! Where are you going?"

"Like you said, Rosie," he said with a wily smirk, "I think I'm about to go kill someone."

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><p>"Damn it!" Albus grunted. "You didn't tell me he was <em>this<em> heavy!"

"Hey, you beat him up as much as I did!" Scorpius replied.

"What does that have to do with his weight?" Albus asked. Scorpius rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Well, I don't _know_!" he exclaimed impatiently. "Just keep dragging!"

"Why do I have to get his feet?" Albus whined with a slightly immature pout.

"Shut up, Al!" Scorpius chided. A few minutes later, the two rounded a secluded corner in the dark hallways of the school and set down Anthony Wilsons's body. The two leaned against the wall for a few seconds to catch their breath before staring at the piece of work.

After Rose had told Scorpius that Anthony Wilsons had cheated on her, Scorpius immediately went to the Slytherin Common Room to find Albus. The two formulated a plan for revenge and to not get caught at the same time. Wilsons's body was now covered in bruises and his nose seemed broken. His eyes were developing two nice shiners and there was some blood on the outside of his mouth.

"Alright, you want to do it, or should I?" Albus asked after their respite.

"I'll do it," Scorpius volunteered. "Merlin knows that you'll screw it up somehow."

That earned him a pointed stare and a whap to the head. Scorpius ignored the sharp pain in his head and pointed his wand towards Wilsons.

"_Obliviate_."

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><p>"Scorpius Malfoy, what did you do?" Rose asked with narrowed eyes and hands on her hips that night at dinner.<p>

"I don't know," he responded conversationally, "what _did_ I do?"

She glared even more and turned to her cousin. "Albus Potter, what did you do?"

"What makes you think I did anything?" Albus replied with a mischievously raised eyebrow. Rose rolled her eyes and a small smile played on her face.

"Well whatever you two did," she said as she leaned down, "thank you."

She kissed Albus and Scorpius on the cheek before walking back to the Ravenclaw table to join her friends. While Albus quickly went back to eating, Scorpius couldn't help but stare after her and blush. Noticing his friend's actions, Albus snorted and elbowed Scorpius, telling him to stop staring and to eat.

Later that night, back at the Heads Common Room, he said, "So…are we okay?"

"Scorpius, the minute you stalked out of the common room earlier," she explained, "we were better than okay."

And with that, she went back into her room, leaving Scorpius smiling like a fool and that wall finally broken down.

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><p><strong>(Quick note: No, the Helena in this chapter is <em>not<em> Helena Zabini, Scorpius's cousin. I just like using that name :D)**

**Did anyone catch the knocking on the door thing? (:**

**Okay, I really wanted to get this up before I go to London this Saturday (: And no I'm not going to the Harry Potter Studio Tour because my parents didn't get the tickets in time -_- Ah well, at least I get to go to King's Cross and see the Platform 9 ¾ plaque :D**

**And I tried to make this story serious…it's not freaking working. Sorry :/ I just can't freaking do it.**

**Thank you to all the reviews so far (: They're all super sweet and make my day! :D And especially to Amazingly Brilliant, who pointed out to me that this story was going slightly fast. Yeah, total agreements, dude. Hopefully, I slowed it down just a tad :P But don't worry, I have a ton of plans for future chapters, so it'll be a while until it's over (: **

**Aha, I hoped you also liked my oneshot **_**Anniversary. **_**I put it up for **_**my**_** three year anniversary on FF :D Hopefully I'll get another oneshot up, but I'm super busy :P Sorry! D:**

**Anyways, thank you for all the support! I love you all, and don't forget to review! :D**

**~Kick**


	5. Failsafe, Part 1

**No…no Tumblr go away you're ruining my writing time D:**

**Sorry for the delay. I feel terrible ):**

**By the way, is anyone interested in making an image/cover for my story :D I'm crap at these kind of things :P**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

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><p>"GET DOWN!" Albus yelled, quickly running over to Scorpius and covering him from an explosion. "You okay?"<p>

"Fine," he breathed. "Where's Rose?"

Albus pointed across the room, where Rose was fighting off a large man. The sparks from the wands ricocheted and caused large, colorful blasts. Rose and the man's wands were blown from their hands. Taking advantage of the momentary confusion, she kicked her leg up to the man's face and knocked him unconscious.

After grabbing her wand from the ground, Rose examined her surroundings and quickly located Albus and Scorpius.

"Are you two alright?" she asked hurriedly as she slid to the place where Albus and Scorpius hid. "Not hurt, right?"

Albus and Scorpius quickly shook their heads.

"You?" Scorpius asked.

"Fine."

Being cautious, the three Aurors-In-Training looked over the small wall where they were hiding behind. There were still many guards with their wands at their sides, ready to strike them down the first moment they saw fit.

"Any ideas on how we're going to get past them?" Rose whispered. Scorpius took in her appearance. Her clothes were somewhat ripped and knees bloody. Her red hair was in a slight disarray and her blue eyes seemed calculating.

Albus and he did not look much better. Some of their hair was singed in the fiery explosion. Like Rose, their clothes were ripped and they were equally bloody, if not more.

"No," Albus grunted with annoyance. Although he was extremely talented, he was always impatient in regards of the plans and strategies.

"We need some kind of distraction," Scorpius suggested, "something to get them out of the way."

"We figured as much, Scorpius," Albus said, rolling his eyes. "Any ideas for a diversion?"

Scorpius scanned the area quickly. The wall they were behind offered an ideal hiding position from the Dark Wizards. However, they were in an isolated location, near the edge of a forest with a shady warehouse nearby.

For their first mission, the three of them were to infiltrate the building and to report any inconsistencies back at the Auror Office in the Ministry.

A simple reconnaissance mission.

That was how it started, anyways, until they were caught.

Rose, Scorpius, and Albus were all one squad. However, another squad who had deployed with them had been caught. The men working at the warehouse did a spread search and the three had quickly found cover after taking out a few of the guards.

But things were getting worse.

They had lost all contact with the other squad, which meant they were either MIA or dead. Hopefully, it was the former.

"There's a tall beam right across from us," Rose pointed out with her finger. "Maybe we can make it fall over and get everybody over so we can slip past."

Scorpius shook his head at the suggestion. "We'll get caught. They'll see the direction of the beam falling and they'll know where we are. Not to mention we might get crushed in the process."

"Which is why we have to get out of here rather quickly, don't you think?" Albus quipped dryly. Rose shook her head.

"No, Scorpius is right," Rose sighed. "We can't risk it."

"Hey," Albus said suddenly. "Stairs to our eleven."

True to his word, there was a small flight of stairs relatively near them.

"Let's go," Scorpius murmured. He looked around cautiously before carefully creeping to the stairs. They climbed while making as little noise as possible. One misstep could be their end.

The stairs took them to the top of a different room. It was dimly lit with a light green glow, similar to the Slytherin common room.

"What are they doing down there?" Rose wondered aloud. It took Scorpius a few more moments for his eyes to adjust to the lighting. He and Albus looked down. His eyes were met with the vision of a few men in dark coats gathered around a steaming cauldron of a murky purple liquid.

"What _is_ that?" Albus asked, scrunching his nose. The seemingly like potion produced an incredibly putrid stench, causing Rose and Scorpius to follow suit.

"I wish we could go down and take a sample," Rose said. "But our only objective now is to get out. We can probably come back and investigate _after _we make our observations to Harry."

"We _can't_ Rose," Albus protested. "There's no doubt that they've already been alerted about intruders. If we get out now, it's improbable that they're going to be in the exact same place next time. They can't risk another breach in security. If we need to make a move, _now_ is the time to do it."

"Albus, we're deep enough as it is," Rose countered. "We've gathered information and we've collected names. We _have_ to get out. There are already enough men coming after us, we don't need more."

"We _need_ to find out what that potion is," Albus replied heatedly. "I've never seen it before in my life. We have to come up with some sort of plan to steal a vial and have it examined to see what it does!"

Scorpius shook his head and pointed. "There's no need."

Albus and Rose quickly stopped their bickering. To their horror, there was a man gagged and bound being dragged out from another room. It was one of the men from the other squad. He was screaming and thrashing against the binds.

"Shut him up," one of the men said. With a quick flick of the wand, the Auror was quickly silenced.

"Shall we test it now, sir?" someone asked courteously.

The man nodded briskly, spooning some of the potion into the bound man's mouth. All at once, the thrashing stopped, and the Auror's eyes seemed to bulge. Blood poured from his mouth and nose. He quickly went still.

Rose closed her eyes in disgust at the sadists' actions. Albus and Scorpius looked equally revolted.

"That settles it," Scorpius said. "We need to get a sample."

"Scorpius, are you _mad_?" Rose screeched quietly, eyes opening in surprise. "We'll get caught _and_ killed."

"Well we don't get caught," Albus informed Rose. She studied their faces for a while before sighing.

"Fine," she agreed, reluctance lacing her voice. "But we have to do something to distract them from—"

"Where's Albus?" Scorpius cut in sharply.

"He was just here!" Rose exclaimed, looking around wildly.

"Fuck!" Scorpius growled. "I _hate_ it when he does that."

"There he is!" Rose cried out. Her finger was pointing to a silhouette that was quickly maneuvering his way through to the bottom.

Albus safely made it to the bottom and Rose and Scorpius let out a quick sigh of relief.

Until a hand reached out from the shadows and pulled him in.

"_Alb—" _Rose began to yell until Scorpius covered her mouth with his hand.

"We can't let them see us," Scorpius said, his voice constricted.

There was his best friend, caught. He was now being held in a firm headlock as another man brutally punched his face. Even from the top of the room, Scorpius could see him gritting his teeth from the pain. He knew that Albus would never scream out. Not if he had to.

Rose whimpered into Scorpius's hand. This was her _cousin_. Her best friend, confidant. Her _family_.

"No," Scorpius whispered quietly, his hand loosening his hold on Rose.

They had grabbed Albus by the hair, lifting his head up and forcing his mouth open. Rose whimpered again and held on to Scorpius even tighter. He returned the pressure and restrained himself from jumping over the ledge and saving his friend. But he couldn't risk Rose's safety as well.

One of the men smirked as he watched Albus struggling against the man twice his size. Anger rolled off Scorpius in waves as he saw the men laughing as they watched Albus thrash about, trying to be released from the hold. His insides constricted even more as they carefully ladled a spoonful of the potion into Albus's mouth. Albus tried moving away as well as spitting it out. Scorpius couldn't help but hope that he would escape.

But just like the Auror before him, Albus died instantly.

* * *

><p><strong>Hehe. I'm gonna end it here.<strong>

**Because I'm such a troll like that. **

**Sorry for my long absence! I didn't even _realize_ it had been three months since my last update :b I've been addicted to Tumblr and Young Justice too much -_- Damn it!**

**I actually have already written out most of the next chapter, and all I have to do is finish it up and edit (: Again, super sorry for the delay. I've been lazy. Like. Super lazy. And I've been busy fangirling over _The Dark Knight Rises_ which I couldn't get any midnight tickets to because my dad wouldn't let me. Yay. Thanks Dad, even though you pretty much love the series almost more than I do. **

**Anyways, new format on FF? Yeah. No me gusta. **

**OKAY! :D Please review this chapter! I worked a long time on this to make it adequate. And as you can see from the chapter title, I've been watching _way_ too much YJ xD Ah well, hope you enjoyed it though (:**

**PLEASE REVIEW :D AND HAPPY SUMMER AS WELL AS ALMOST ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE LAST HARRY POTTER MOVIE 7/15/2011 (:**

**-Kick**

**PS. Go check out my tumblr (: kicksintheair . tumblr . com :D (but there's a _lot_ of Legend of Korra and Young Justice at the moment. You've been warned)**


	6. Failsafe Part 2

**If you guys were wondering why I haven't updated recently, it's in the Author's Note down below. And yes. I _do_ have a legitimate reason this time.**

**But I am sorry for my absence. School's being a little bit of a bitch at the moment.**

**Disclaimer: You know it, I don't own it.**

**(By the way, this chapter is dedicated to bestgryl for guessing the right reference I was making in my story _Tired_. Bet you thought I forgot, eh ;)**

* * *

><p><em>One of the men smirked as he watched Albus struggling against the man twice his size. Anger rolled off Scorpius in waves as he saw the men laughing as they watched Albus thrash about, trying to be released from the hold. His insides constricted even more as they carefully ladled a spoonful of the potion into Albus's mouth. Albus tried moving away as well as spitting it out. <em>

_But just like the Auror before him, Albus died instantly._

"Albus!" Scorpius exclaimed quietly. His gray eyes were wide as he watched his best friend slump over. All he saw was red, red, red. He felt anger at the men who killed him. He felt _frustrated_ for not being able to stop Albus. Not for the life of him could Scorpius believe his best friend was dead.

Next to him, Rose was not in much better shape. She was crying silently, hoping the thugs would not find her and Scorpius at the ledge at the top of the room. Her breathing was heavy and her eyes were puffy and red.

However, they could not just sit here and watch. If they did, they would surely be killed. Rose swallowed thickly and turned to Scorpius.

"Scorpius, we have to move," she whispered. "We _need_ to get out of here." He turned on her instantly.

"_Excuse me_?" he practically snarled. "Don't know if you noticed, but we just saw my best friend, your _cousin_, murdered. And you want us to _move_?"

Rose's blue eyes narrowed as she replied. "Yes, I do want us to move. Yes, I _did_ just see my best friend murdered, too. But we can't stay here, or _we'll_ be killed as well. We have to get out of here, Scorpius! We're involved in something that's way too deep for us to uncover!"

Scorpius sighed quickly and assessed the situation. On hand, Rose was right. They needed to get out of the warehouse before they were caught. But on the other hand, he wanted to avenge Albus.

He _had_ to avenge Albus.

Maybe he could corporate the two together?

"Alright," Scorpius said. "We have to get out of here." Rose looked immensely relieved and began to speak when Scorpius interrupted her. "But we're taking Albus's body with us."

Much to his surprise, Rose nodded her agreement.

"We need a plan, Scorpius," she mentioned. "We can't just swoop in there and get the body!"

"Oh yes, that's true, isn't it?" a heavily accented voice said behind them. Rose and Scorpius's eyes widened as they turned to stare at the voice. Rose gulped silently as she took in his stocky build. He was clearly there for heavy lifting, and as a bodyguard. Add a wand into the equation and the situation just got even worse.

"Who are you, and who do you work for?" he said menacingly.

"Like that's any of your business," Rose replied scathingly.

"Rose," Scorpius whispered cautiously before speaking up. "Aurors of the Ministry of Magic. Malfoy and Weasley. I think the question is who are _you_ and what the _fuck_ is going on?"

"Aurors, eh?" the man smirked. "I'm guessing your friend was, too? No matter. All of you are easily disposable. Hard to fight when you _don't have wands_."

Their hands instantly went to their sides. To their astonishment, their wands were missing. The man smiled and waved them tantalizingly in the air. He examined them each before breaking them in half, right in front of them. They winced at each crack.

Slowly, leisurely, he took out his own wand. Thick and long, just like he was. Scorpius grasped Rose's hand tightly and tried to run.

The man spoke two words.

"_Avada Kedavra_."

* * *

><p>Scorpius woke with a gasp and he sat up. He looked around wildly at his surroundings and was instantly confused.<p>

He had died.

Why was he breathing?

He was lying down on a stone table, Rose and Albus next to him, both very much alive. Harry Potter was standing in front of the aligned tables, staring at the three of them somberly.

"Welcome back," he stated simply.

"'_Welcome back!" _Albus yelled. "What the _fuck_ just happened!?"

"Calm down, Albus, and try to remember," his father said patiently.

"Remember _what_?" Rose said, eyes squinted in concentration.

Harry turned to Scorpius, who hadn't said anything up to this point.

"We…we just underwent a simulation, didn't we?" he said slowly. Albus and Rose stared at him. "It was to test our abilities in the field."

"Correct," Harry said with an approving nod. "However, what you didn't know was that this was a plan set to _fail_. No matter what happened, the end would always be the same. A failure. The Ministry set up this test to examine the Aurors and their abilities to adapt in a situation where their fellow team members had died, or if their mission had failed.

"The situation would always get worse, and those in the simulation were expected to adapt to said situation. This was to help you in real life, when you three _do_ go out in the field, and how you would react to a team member's death," Harry explained. Rose looked horrified.

"No offense to the _Ministry_," Rose scowled, "but that is _completely _immoral! How could you set something up as a failure and expect us to be okay with it!"

"I agree that it was unfair and unethical, Rose," Harry admitted hesitantly, "but it _is _necessary. If one of your teammates got injured in the field, you must be able to work around that and continue with the mission. When I had to do my simulation test, I was angry about it as well. Eventually, I learned that everyone had to understand the pain and anger that came with being an Auror.

"The three of you just went under an extremely emotional simulation compared to others, considering how long you've been friends. Therefore, I am allowing a one week break from work to get yourselves back in shape and ready to work."

Albus, Scorpius, and Rose just stared at the floor, not saying anything. Harry surveyed the three of them quickly before clearing his throat.

"You three are dismissed," he said quietly.

* * *

><p>How many drinks had it been?<p>

He had lost count after three.

Scorpius didn't get drunk. He could hold his liquor rather well. However, when he usually drank this much, it was for celebration.

Not for whatever the hell he was feeling now.

Despair. Sadness. _Anger_. He had lost his best friend and _nearly_ lost the girl he was in love with.

All within a few minutes.

Scorpius shook his head before he pulled his head back for another shot.

_No use pining over it now,_ Scorpius thought bitterly while setting the shot glass down along with the money. He thought about his friends and how they might have been doing.

Albus had gone over to his girlfriend's flat to spend the night.

"I can't very well talk about emotions to you, right?" he had said, trying to joke in the somber situation.

Rose, however, had just left the office as soon as they were dismissed.

Scorpius sighed against the icy wind. He knew Rose would be in some sort of emotional turmoil. He figured now might be a good time as any to find out.

* * *

><p>"Rose?" he called out. As he stepped into the apartment while slipping the keys back into his pocket, he observed that he was staring into an empty living room. He lifted an eyebrow and called out again. "Rose?"<p>

He strained his ears for any sound to indicate where she was. The years of training had paid off when he heard a soft sniffle coming from the bathroom.

Scorpius knocked on the door and quietly said her name. Within a few seconds, Rose opened the door. She was wearing one of his blue T-shirts that were too big for her and slipped off her shoulder as well as a pair of gray sweats. Her red hair seemed darker than usual, most likely from the shower she had just taken. Her eyes, however, told him that she had been crying.

"Hey," she croaked, leaning against the bathroom door. She attempted a smile.

"Come here," he whispered, holding his arms out. Rose gratefully wrapped her arms around him and began crying again.

He didn't say anything. He doubted anything he would have said would have any comfort for her. Instead, he just held her and stroked her hair until her tears subsided and she could speak again.

"I got your shirt wet," she mumbled shakily. He chuckled.

"Like I care," he said with an easy smile. Rose's face came out of the crook of his neck and smiled back. He kissed her forehead softly. "It's been a long day. Let's get you into bed."

She nodded, the back of her neck turning slightly red. Scorpius, however, was completely oblivious.

With Rose tucked into the midnight blue comforter, Scorpius bade goodnight before he heard her calling back.

"Scorpius?" her meek voice said. He turned and stared into the sharp blue eyes.

"Yeah, Rosie?"

"Do you think…do you think you could stay with me tonight?" she asked, looking away somewhat abashedly. "I—I don't know. I don't want to be alone."

He smiled softly and nodded. "Yeah, sure."

He grabbed an extra shirt and pants from the drawer specially dedicated to him (an accomplishment Scorpius was always proud of). He lifted the blanket and crawled underneath settling into the bed. He sighed and closed his eyes. He heard Rose scoot over and bury her head into his neck again.

"You smell like alcohol," she deadpanned, staring into his eyes. He grinned at her sleepily.

"Had a few drinks. S'no big deal," he mumbled sleepily. Scorpius could almost hear her roll her eyes.

"You shouldn't drink so much," she said. Scorpius smiled and brushed his lips against her hair.

"Go to sleep, Weasley."

"Pushy, Malfoy," she laughed almost silently. She kissed his cheek. "Night, Scorpius."

He didn't reply. He was just hoping she couldn't see him blush.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>this story is fucking stupid. go die you bitch. like go jump off of a fucking cliff or something so no one has to read your fucking awful writing"<strong>_

**And that's why I haven't been writing for a while.**

**Dunno how you guys would feel, but that kinda stung.**

**Anyhow, I won't be here for another while either, because next month is NaNoWriMo :D Last year I wrote about 52,000 words. This year, I hope to do even more :D**

**Anyways, sorry for the delay again. I'll try to update faster once I finish NaNo.**

**But what'd you guys think? And please, if you're going to flame, explain why. Appreciated. **

**See you guys later (:**

**~Kick**

**PS Anyone here like FMA? I just finished the first series, and I'm on Brotherhood right now :D ROYAI!**


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